


The Princess and the Hero

by EnukiTanuki (Treekianthia)



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: (This is completely self-indulgent), F/M, Wind Waker AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 14:06:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19702897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treekianthia/pseuds/EnukiTanuki
Summary: A recreation of a well-known scene from Wind Waker but with Therion, Tressa, and a bit of Octopath Flare.





	The Princess and the Hero

**Author's Note:**

> What started out as a run of Wind Waker eventually turned into a fun art piece (shown below) that spawned this fic. Originally I wrote this just to share with friends, but a few people on twitter seemed interested in reading it as well. Is a weird fic to post? Yes. Do I regret writing it? No.
> 
> If you do choose to read, I hope you enjoy the silly fun it brings 🌊

_([ **Twitter Source**](https://twitter.com/Woodland_Knight/status/1146585926883139584))_

* * *

_“Therion… Take the girl to the chamber in which you drew the blade…”_

Therion stepped out of the boat and held out his hand to the young woman in front of him. She was hesitant, and she stared at him as she bit her lip. The world around them moved slowly, as if time existed on a different plane, and neither of them moved. The situation they had found themselves in was strange, and the series of events leading up to it even stranger. They weren’t quite sure what to make of it.

What had started as Therion sailing with pirates to save his sister had turned into him traveling the seas in order to try and stop a great evil. He had fought monsters, discovered ancient deities, and gone through trials only meant for true heroes. He’d proven himself worthy to the gods, and using a blade said to vanish darkness, he had faced the great evil in their own abode. That had been a mistake, however, as the blade no longer held the power it once had. He was easily taken down in the fight.

When Therion thought he was done for, the captain of the pirates showed up to save him. She had made her way in through a window, and drawing her own dagger, charged at the great evil. Yet even she was no match for them, and they quickly overpowered her as well. They held their hand out to strike her down, but they hesitated for just a moment. A golden glow had appeared on the captain’s right hand, and the great evil began to laugh.

It was then that the great dragon spirit Alephan appeared with his attendant and the princess of the Rito tribe. The two Rito women took hold of Therion and the captain and flew away, while the dragon burned the stronghold the evil resided in into ash. The captain had fallen unconscious, but Therion was able to watch as the stronghold burned. On the seas below, the captain’s ship sailed away to get away from the stronghold. It was back on the ship where Therion was finally reunited with the sister he had taken so long to save, but soon after he was asked to take the captain below the surface of the sea.

“...I want to make this quick,” the captain said as she took Therion’s hand. She looked to be nervous as she stepped out of the boat and onto the steps below, and Therion held her hand tight.

“This way…” Therion said as he led the captain up the steps. He had been to the area only once before, but even then, he knew bits and pieces about the place. The boat he had sailed, the King of Black Bulls, said it was an ancient kingdom from long ago. Why it was here, Therion didn’t know, but whatever spirit was haunting the boat had promised he would learn the rest of the story some day soon.

As Therion led the captain into the empty halls, she looked around. The castle had once been riddled with monsters, but Therion had taken care of them during his previous visit. Time itself had been completely frozen, and upon drawing the blade from the pedestal, Therion had restarted it. He remembered having to distract the monsters to disperse them one by one, and how it had taken quite some time. At least the spoils they had dropped were worth it.

Approaching a statue, Therion looked up at it. The King of Black Bulls said it represented a hero from the ancient kingdom who had slain the great evil many centuries ago, and that they had originally wielded the sword Therion now held. The captain looked at it as well.

“Funny, he kind of looks like- except he looks to have two eyes,” she pointed out before laughing. Therion looked at her with a flat expression.

“I started this journey with two eyes, you know,” he reminded her in annoyance. He had lost his left eye to the hands of the great evil’s servant after failing to save his sister the first time around, and he was still adjusting to the change in vision.

The captain was right though: the statue did look oddly like him. Of course, it was only because the clothes he wore were tailored to mimic the ancient hero the statue depicted. Therion’s grandfather had made them for him, and Therion was required to wear them for his 22nd birthday. Of course, he hadn’t thought to change clothes after Cordelia had been kidnapped, and he had sailed off in them. Now, he was stuck with them.

“Come on, let’s not make this take longer than it needs to,” Therion said before leading the captain down into the basement. She followed behind him, and they eventually made their way to a well lit room. All around them, stained glass depicting twelve ancient sages shined brightly with the sun, and statues of knights stood proud.

Yet it was what was in the center of the room that caught Therion’s eye the most.

Standing near the pedestal in which Therion had drawn his blade, there was a man with golden hair. He smiled at the two, and waited for them to approach. Slowly, Therion and the captain made their way over, and walked up the steps leading to him. He held his arms out to them in a welcoming manner, and he smiled as if he knew them. Something about him felt familiar.

“Therion… Tressa… I welcome you,” the man greeted. Therion’s eye went wide as the man spoke, and he realized this was not his first time hearing their voice. It was one he had heard often enough on his journey.

“You!” Therion managed to blurt out through the shock. He wasn’t able to form a full sentence, but he was sure his reaction conveyed enough on its own. The man laughed.

“Yes, Therion… It is I, the spirit of the King of Black Bulls,” the man revealed. “I have been waiting for a very long time for this moment to come.”

“What’s going on here? And exactly who are you?” Tressa asked the man. Therion had let go of her hand, and she held both of hers close to her chest. The man gave a slight bow.

“Let me properly introduce myself,” he said as he looked up at the two. “I am Aeber Altern Orsterra, one of the thirteen gods and the King of the ancient Orsterran Kingdom. I am the one who guided Therion here, and the one who will give you the answers you both seek.”

Therion stepped forward. “Why the hell were you possessing a boat, and what was the purpose of having me bring the captain here?” he asked the apparent king. He was starting to get a bit confused, but his entire journey had thrown him for a loop.

“It was so I could communicate with you without revealing my true identity too early, Therion, and I believe the captain has something I’ve been looking for,” the king began to explain. They were still smiling, and Therion was starting to realize he could see partially through them. It was as if they were a ghost.

The captain blinked. “Looking for something? What could I possibly have that you would want?” she asked. Her arms were crossed, and she sounded like she was starting to get annoyed.

The king chuckled. “First, a bit of a history lesson for the two of you,” he said. “Listen carefully, because I’ll only say it once.”

_A long time ago, the Kingdom of Orsterra lived in peace. It was a prosperous nation, with thirteen gods that had split it into eight smaller countries. Rule was split amongst the thirteen of them, with two of them reigning at the top. The King and Queen worked tirelessly to keep the land safe, and much of their time and energy was sacrificed so the people could be happy. There was rarely a moment of rest, but the rulers did what they could for the good of the people._

_Then one tragic day, the queen fell ill. She grew weaker with each passing moment, and as she did so, the people became vulnerable to attack. As the King tended to her, an evil force began to creep over the land. The Orsterran people gave in to the darkness, and war erupted amongst the eight countries. Leading the dark forces was a man who sought for power, and there was no man or woman who could stop them._

_Then, from seemingly nowhere, a hero emerged. Wielding a blade said to banish darkness, he fought the power seeking man and brought him to his knees. The man begged for mercy, but the hero knew it was a trap. Calling to the heavens, the hero received the blessing from twelve wise sages, and sealed the man away into darkness. With it, the war was ended._

_Shortly after, the Queen recovered and the two gods resumed protecting the Kingdom. Peace continued to prosper amongst the Orsterran people, and the seal on the darkness showed no signs of breaking. The Kingdom was once again safe._

_The seal remained for centuries, and the King and Queen continued to watch over it. The blade that had sealed the evil was safe in their hands, and it was hidden away where nobody could find it. Not even the other gods knew where it was placed._

_Yet the seal could only last so long._

_500 years after it was sealed, the darkness returned. The sword could no longer hold it back, and it crept across the land as it had centuries ago. War once again erupted, and the kingdom fell into chaos. The King and Queen watched in horror as their kingdom turned to ash, and the people began to pray for the hero of legend to return and save them from a terrible fate...._

_Yet no hero ever came._

_There was no hero to wield the blade and drive back the darkness, and the King and Queen were unable to do it on their own. The darkness had grown too strong, and it overpowered them whenever they tried. They had no way of stopping it on their own._

_In a final attempt to stop the darkness, the gods devised a plan. They selected a handful of people that had yet to fall to the chaos, and sent them to the highest peaks of the land. Taking the blade that had once held the seal, the King and Queen once again locked it away where it once was. The thirteen gods then joined their power together, and created a seal so powerful that the darkness would not break it for another thousand years. To prevent the sword holding the seal from being found, they flooded the land and locked it away beneath the waves._

“Such a powerful seal took a toll on us all, and we were unable to continue living on in Hylian form,” the king revealed. “To continue protecting those we created, twelve of us took on different forms to survive. Aelfric and Galdera now serve as the spirits of the sun and moon, and you have met Alephan, the dragon spirit who controls the weather, along with Dohter, the Great Tree who spreads forests, and Dreisang, the sky spirit who has hidden himself away. Brand and Winnehild serve as spirits who create islands, while Sealticge is the queen of the fairies. Steorra is a bird who flies among the stars, and Draefendi is the leopard guardian for the Tower of the Gods. My beloved Queen Bifelgan and her brother Balogar now serve as the spirits of the wind and the sea, and I am left to watch the sunken kingdom on my own.”

“Wait, but that doesn’t explain why I’m here!” Tressa interrupted. “I think I understand what role Therion has to play in all of this, but I’m just somebody who got dragged into this mess!”

The King looked at the captain. “Therion now has the role of the hero who will seal the darkness away, but you Tressa, play a role that is just as important,” he revealed. “You see, amongst those we sent to the highest peaks was Bifelgan and my own daughter, the Princess of the Orsterran people, along with the children of my fellow gods. Sending them away caused them to become mortal, and they were tasked with recreating the world.”

“So the people who live now… Are descended from the gods?” Tressa asked. She looked to be surprised by the realization, and Therion was a bit as well. The King, however, shook his head.

“Regular mortals joined our children, and only a select handful of people nowadays are descended from the gods. They’ve taken on a variety of forms, however, and you can not always tell who is descended from who based on what they’ve become,” the King continued to explain. “If anything, our descendants represent the forms we used to take long ago.”

“And what of your descendants?” Therion asked. “If you sent your daughter to the world above, surely you must be somebody’s ancestor.”

The King held out his hand. “Tressa… When your mother passed away, she gifted you something, did she not? She told you to protect it with your life, and to cherish it until you die,” he said. Tressa looked at him in shock, and clutched something around her neck.

“Yes… A necklace…” Tressa muttered. “How did you know?”

Suddenly, a strange golden object appeared in the King’s hand. It was some sort of triangle, but it was missing a piece on the bottom. He held out his other hand, and another golden triangle appeared within. It looked to be the exact piece the first triangle needed, and the two pieces began to move closer. They began to shine as they merged, and Tressa watched as they did so. Therion, however, covered his eyes as it grew too bright to watch.

...when the light died down, Therion uncovered his eyes. In front of him, where Tressa had been standing, was a woman with long, brown and curly hair who wore a yellow gown and a crown, She looked to be some sort of princess, and Therion had no idea who she was.

“Tressa…” the King began, “You are the descendant of myself and Bifelgan, making you the Princess of the Kingdom of Orsterra. The necklace you cherished held a piece of the power of the gods, and with it returned, you will be able to use it to help Therion seal the darkness away.”

“I’m… A Princess?” Tressa asked in disbelief. Therion watched as she held out her right hand, which now had a shape glowing on the back of it. He felt he had seen it before, but he had greater concerns at the moment.

“No fucking way, that brat can’t be a princess!” the white-haired man said loudly. “This has to be some sort of mistake!”

“Hey, I’m having a hard time believing this too, you know!” Tressa shouted back. Her attire was drastically different from what she had previously wore, and Therion could barely recognized her. It was as if she was an entirely different person.

“It’s no mistake, Therion, and the two of you will need to work together if you wish to bring down Darius and reseal the darkness,” the king stated. “With the darkness having grown in power and the blade having lost its own, you will not be able to do it for some time. You will need to restore the blade to its former glory before facing Darius again, and during that time he’ll surely be looking for Tressa. She’ll have to stay here where it’s safe until you are ready.”

“What!? I’m not staying down here!” Tressa complained. “Princess or not, I’m still a pirate and I know how to defend myself!”

Despite the complaints, however, the king shook his head again. “I’m sorry, Tressa, but it’s too dangerous for you now. You are my only living descendant, and only you have access to this specific power. Therion himself will need to find another section of it and restore the blade’s power, along with sages to bless it. Only then can the darkness truly be sealed,” he told the two. It was a lot to take in, but Therion was managing well enough.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, Tressa,” Therion said while cracking a smile. “Maybe I’ll send you a postcard every once in a while during my travels back on the ocean’s surface.”

The princess stomped her foot. “This is so unfair! You better make things quick, or you’re going to regret everything when you come back down here!” she demanded while puffing out her cheeks. It was nice that despite being a princess, she still acted in her normal childish ways.

“Come now, Therion. We must hurry and leave,” the king said before vanishing. Therion looked around in attempts to relocate them, and he eventually spotted them on the stairs behind the two of them. “The longer we wait, the stronger Darius and the darkness gets. We need to reseal him as soon as possible.”

Tressa took a deep breath. “I guess this really is goodbye then…” she said with a somber tone. “Promise me you won’t take too long? And tell my crew that I’ll see them again soon. Oh, and keep your sister safe this time!”

Looking back, Therion nodded in response. “I promise I will,” he told her. It was odd, because despite how much they bickered, he really didn’t want to leave her. Being all alone in an unknown place sounded like a terrible thing to go through. Tressa was trying her best to smile.

“And don’t get yourself hurt too badly, okay?” she asked of him. “I won’t be there to save you this time around!”

Therion let out a slight laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be careful out there,” he promised. He was smiling as well, and trying his best to stay positive. It was a difficult thing to do.

“Therion, we must leave now. You will be able to talk again soon, but we cannot wait much longer,” the king said from nearby. Therion looked at him and nodded, but turned back to Tressa one last time.

“I’ll see you later,” he said before running off. Tressa waved at him as he left, and he waved back right before leaving. The last thing he saw was her with tears in her eyes.

“Goodbye, Therion!”

As Therion left the basement, the statue moved back over the entrance. Things were quiet again, and the world continued to move in its slow and strange manner. He headed back outside, where his boat was patiently waiting. He got inside, and hoisting the sail, headed towards the golden light that would take him back to the surface. He had a long journey ahead of him…

And Tressa would be at the end of it...


End file.
